


Cum Metu

by galerian_ash



Series: Sine Metu [2]
Category: The Expendables 2
Genre: Established Relationship, Idea courtesy of JCVD, M/M, Post-Canon, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-14
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2018-02-13 04:06:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2136384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galerian_ash/pseuds/galerian_ash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A late-night phone call leads Barney to realize a few things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cum Metu

**Author's Note:**

> Title means "With Fear", in case you were wondering ;)
> 
> While this fic takes place after "Sine Metu", it can definitely stand alone.

The ring of the phone tears Barney from a restless sleep. He makes a blind grab for it, knowing damn well who it is — a knowledge that leaves him unsure whether to suppress a groan or a smile.

They'd slept together, he and Gunner, that first night after getting back from Albania. A nightmare about Billy had sunk its claws into him, jolting him awake with a strangled cry stuck in his throat. Gunner's eyes had glinted in the dark beside him.

Gunner had said nothing — a man's grief is a private affair — but he'd _been there_ , moving closer as soon as Barney got his breathing under control. He'd thrown a casual arm across Barney's midsection, fingers curling protectively around bruised ribs.

He'd gone back to sleep within a few minutes, but the hold had anchored Barney to a living, warm — _snoring_ — world.

The next night he'd gotten a phone call right before he'd gone to bed, and another the following night. Today, apparently, is to be no different.

"Yeah?"

"Barney, hey, it's me."

"If this is going to be another rambling treatise about why your bomb should've worked, I-"

"No," Gunner says, cutting him off. "Listen, I need you to come over."

Gunner's voice is serious, none of that lurking humor that Barney has come to know and — God help him — love. It renders him completely awake, already getting up from the bed and reaching for his guns.

"What is it?"

"It's not..." he trails off, sounding oddly uncertain. "Just come, I can't explain. You need to see it with your own eyes."

"Alright. I'll be there in ten." He'd be there in six, breaking every traffic rule in the book. But if someone was listening in on the call, getting there early might help him get the drop on them.

"See you," Gunner says, hanging up without waiting for a reply.

Gritting his teeth, Barney gets ready. A pair of guns and his knife is what he ends up with. He would've liked to bring more, but there's no time to go through his arsenal. He'll just have to make do with the weapons that were within easy reach.

His bike purrs to life, a sound that quickly turns into a roar as he pushes it to its limit. He leaves it a block from Gunner's place, not wanting the noise to reveal his arrival.

The area appears to be deserted, but any sniper worth his salt could find at least ten hiding spots in the dark alley leading up to the apartment building. There's not much he can do about that, however, aside from hope for the best. If someone _is_ in there with Gunner, they'd hopefully want the pleasure of offing him themselves.

He reaches the entrance without incident, but wastes no time on feeling relieved. The stairs are quickly and silently climbed, and then he's at Gunner's door.

Gun drawn, he feels the door handle. Unlocked.

It's hopefully a good sign, but Barney takes no chances. He creeps into the apartment, crouching low to the ground. There are muted voices coming from the living room, confirming his suspicion — now it's just a matter of whether or not it's an enemy.

He makes his way there, glancing around the corner to assess the situation.

Vilain.

Vilain is there, impossibly _alive_ , standing right in front of Gunner — close enough to kill him with one well-placed stab.

It makes no sense whatsoever; he can still feel the satisfying crunch beneath his fingers from when he'd twisted the knife in Vilain's gut. Panic takes over, making him cold and hot at the same time. He carefully takes aim, but Gunner suddenly stiffens and turns around, eyes instantly fastening on Barney's hiding spot.

He steps out in front of Vilain, shielding him. "Hey," he calls, "take it easy."

"That's Vilain," Barney hisses, getting up from his crouch.

Gunner grimaces. "It's Vilain, yes," he says, "but not _Jean_ Vilain."

Vilain steps forward, patting Gunner's shoulder as he moves past him. He thrusts out a hand, as if expecting Barney to shake it. "Claude Vilain, enchanté."

Rational thought slowly beginning to return, Barney sees the differences he'd missed before. There had been a coldness in Vilain's eyes, a sense of hateful spite and bored superiority that hadn't even gone away when he'd faced his own death. This man has none of that.

Perhaps realizing the futility of his action, Claude Vilain lets his hand drop. He shrugs, mouth quirking into a smile. "As you wish. But really, it should be _I_ who holds a grudge. You killed my twin brother, after all."

Twins. That's... a reasonable explanation. Still utterly unnerving, though.

Gunner shoulders his way past Vilain, a scowl on his face. "Come on, Barney, lower the gun already."

Every instinct he has tells him that's a bad idea, but if Gunner says it's okay, then it's okay. He holsters the gun.

"Thank you," Vilain says.

"What do you want?" He might put away his gun out of respect for Gunner's assurance, but hell if he's gonna pretend to be friendly. The sooner this new Vilain gets out of their lives, the better.

"As I've told your associate, I did not come here looking for a fight. Jean and I were in the same line of business, but we did things very differently. Aside from physical looks, we were not much alike."

"Good for you," Barney mutters.

Vilain's smirk doesn't falter. "Quite so. Still, he was my brother. I owed it to him to face his killer."

"Yeah, well, you're looking right at him. Now what?"

Gunner moves closer to Barney, just a small movement, but it's enough to send a wave of gratitude and affection through him. Vilain notices it too, judging by the way his smirk widens, revealing gleaming teeth. He looks like a predator, thrilled at the prospect of an exciting hunt.

"I figured I'd kill you," he says, making an airy wave with his hand. "Provided Jean deserved to be avenged. You see, I did not know the exact circumstances of his death, only the how-where-who part. But you were a hard man to find. My sources led me here instead, which I think was beneficial to both of us."

"That so?" Barney forces out. He doesn't like the idea that Gunner is that easy to find.

"Monsieur Jensen told me why you killed him. I suspect that had I come to you first, we would not have exchanged words at all."

He's got that right, at least. Barney nods.

"So it's fine," Vilain says, "I get it. It was business."

"No," Barney replies, for some reason he can't quite understand himself. Perhaps it's lingering resentment from the way Vilain had scared the shit out of him, standing so close to Gunner. "It wasn't business. It was personal."

Vilain's face finally loses its smirk. "I see," he says. He then turns to Gunner, predatory gleam back in his eyes. "Your boss isn't a very smart man. Should you feel like trading up, there'd be a place in my group for you."

Gunner stiffens. "Never." It's a simple response, but it speaks volumes.

"Mais oui," Vilain says, " _loyalty_. Now I want you even more."

And that does it. Barney isn't gonna take one more second of this bastard. "Get out," he snarls.

Vilain laughs, a dark and mirthless sound. "I will not seek you out, Ross, but should we ever find ourselves on opposite sides of a mission... _Well_. You understand, yes?"

"You bet I do."

Vilain turns his attention to Gunner, smirk sliding back in place. "And if that day comes, I look forward to seeing you again. Perhaps your answer will have changed by then. Thank you for your hospitality."

Gunner doesn't reply, simply stepping aside and inclining his head towards the door. Vilain takes the hint, and leaves without another word.

"I don't think he was lying," Gunner says, as soon as the sound of Vilain's descending footsteps filter through the door. "But if you want to take him out, let's do it."

"No," Barney mumbles, making his way to the window. He watches until he sees Vilain getting into a sleek Bugatti, executing a sloppy salute towards him before peeling off.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Barney tips his head forward. The cool glass feels good against his forehead. He stands like that for a while, until Gunner moves to his side. Gentle fingers encircle his neck, rubbing back and forth. He leans into the contact, feeling his tenseness slowly start to seep away.

"Did something happen on the way here?"

"Hm?"

"You really were on edge, sneaking in here with your gun drawn and everything."

Annoyed, Barney stepped back and glared at Gunner. "Vilain was there, he could've been just about to kill you!"

Frowning, Gunner shakes his head. "But I called you, asking you to come here."

"So what? He could've had you at gunpoint, forcing you to make that call."

Gunner grows very still, and Barney knows he's screwed up, though he not sure _how_ he's done it. "What?" he asks.

"...I thought you trusted me again."

Barney is utterly lost. "The hell are you talking about?"

"Do you honestly think, "Gunner says, each word so slow that it's like they are being dragged out of him, "that I wouldn't have warned you if that was the case? If Jean Vilain had somehow still been alive, and gunning for you — you think I would've just let you walk in here, clueless?"

"Gunner," Barney tries, "this is ridiculous-"

"You think," Gunner _howls_ , "that I wouldn't gladly have taken a bullet if it meant keeping you safe?!"

There's a limit to everything. Until this moment, Barney has been good at telling himself that their relationship is nothing more than sex and simple companionship. There have been moments, yeah, where it had been hard to hold onto the delusion — but he'd always managed to build it up again, no matter how badly dented. But this is the end of it. The absolute _terror_ that grips him at the thought of Gunner dying for his sake is just the last straw, really. Deep down, he's known for a long time.

Perhaps the acceptance should come with calmness, but all Barney feels is a sense of desperation. He wants to drive the knowledge into Gunner, with action if not words.

He moves forward, capturing Gunner's mouth in a kiss while slamming him up against the wall. Gunner retaliates by biting his tongue, turning the familiar taste coppery.

"Get off," he growls when he finally manages to wrench his head away. Barney can feel Gunner's muscles coiling beneath his hands, ready to act if the demand isn't met.

"The last thing I want," Barney says, voice hoarse, "is for anyone else to die. Least of all you. I... I couldn't take losing you, Gunner. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

The fury in Gunner's eyes deflate, leaving sadness in its wake. "Then you know how I feel," he replies. "I won't let you get killed, no matter what I have to do."

It's not the answer Barney wants to hear, but he knows there's no point in arguing. All he can do is try to make sure it never comes to that.

Gunner's body has relaxed, feeling almost pliant in his grip. And if Barney can't control the future, or even his own feelings, he can at least take control of this one moment.

He turns Gunner around, making him face the wall. Leaning in close, their bodies flush, he kicks Gunner's legs apart, lowering him to a more accessible height.

Barney's fingers trail underneath Gunner's shirt, stroking his abs before coming up to tweak his nipples. Gunner lets out a low moan and pushes back against Barney, ass rubbing against his groin.

Resisting the temptation of taking this to the bed, Barney reaches down to unzip Gunner's pants. His cock leaps out, smearing pre-come on Barney's hand.

"Going commando, huh?" he whispers, taking great pleasure in the way Gunner squirms, clearly trying to angle his cock back in contact with Barney's hand.

"Don't tease," Gunner pants.

Barney takes hold of him, stroking slowly and gently.

"Don't tease, I said. Come on, _please_."

Unable to refuse that honest plea, Barney sets to work. He tightens his grip and speeds up, as he reaches around with his other hand, carefully tugging on Gunner's balls.

His legs begin to shake, a clear sign that he's close to release. Barney leans forward, licking at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. He bites down, just hard enough to leave a mark. The thought of Vilain seeing it, and knowing just who it is Gunner belongs to, makes him grin.

With a guttural groan, Gunner comes. Barney holds him through it, kissing his neck before carefully tucking him back inside and stepping away.

"My wallpaper is ruined, " Gunner says, chuckling tiredly.

Barney looks down, snorting when he sees the come stain. "Fuck the wallpaper."

Gunner slowly turns around, that beloved, crooked smile firmly in place. "I already did."

**Author's Note:**

> Continuing my grand tradition of starting to write Expendables fics right after I get back from the cinema, and then not actually finishing them until a few minutes before I'm about to go see the next installment. It feels good to finally post something that was started two years ago, though! Hope you enjoyed it too :)


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